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CONS

Heavy iDevice requirements; anything short of 4S and iPad 2 will have a bad time.

VERDICT

Horn brings a rich fantasy world to life, combining elements of classic and modern adventure titles to create something all its own; an incredibly engaging title and a definite must have.

Full Review

App Store Info

When Phosphor Games came out with The Dark Meadow they proved one thing in particular - they know how to craft a world from the ground up. Their latest release Horn comes to us care of casual gaming giant 'Zynga', but its a far cry from the time-sink cash grabs of the past, teleporting players to a world that melds adventuring classics like Zelda and Fable with the visual appeal of Team Ico's best, and ties it all together with Infinity Blade's slashing RPG-lite gameplay. In short, it's a jaw dropping title for the mobile platform.

Poor Horn finds himself alone in a broken and abandoned tower, with nothing more than a musical instrument, a strange crystal, and a rusty sword to protect him. Thus begins a journey of discovery as he realizes his world has been cursed, transforming its living inhabitants in to undying machinations.

Horn's beautiful Unreal engine powered world offers players a classic adventure setup. Taps move Horn around and allow him to interact with various world features including light puzzles to break up the string of battles that punctuate each stage. Approaching an enemy will initiate a separate control system where swipes produce a familiar series of weapon slashes, and contextual buttons on the side and bottom of the screen give you a chance to dodge the brutal strikes directed towards you.

Combat acts as a central element to Horn's gameplay, directing the resources you collect towards upgrading the many weapons, items and armor pieces you can craft in order to make combat easier. Despite the limited variety of enemies, you'll find yourself working hard to break through their defenses, hopefully exposing a weak point in order to swing the battle in your favor. It doesn't share the same back-and-forth complexity of something like Infinity Blade, but it does make for speedier encounters.

As such the combat never detracts from the strong narrative flow. Occasional journal entries provide a deeper insight to the town of Cuthbert, its surroundings and its cursed inhabitants; the voice-acting feels pitch-perfect; and the rich environments create an atmosphere that's rich despite its linear design.

All of this beauty does come with a heavy cost, notably the game will look and feel very rough on anything short of an iPhone 4S, or iPad 2. Other problems include the occasional background crash and glitched environment that will require an area restart, but resources aren't lost, so it's more of a waste of time than anything else.

It's rare enough to get a game this pretty, let alone one that also manages to marry its gameplay and narrative together to create something magical, making Horn an absolute must for those who own a new enough iDevice to play the game smoothly.

Description

NOTE: Horn is a graphically rich game with
advanced features. To OPTIMIZE your playing experience, you may want to
turn off other apps before playing.

**IGN-“ Horn is this year’s most impressive iOS game”**
**AOL- “Horn is a testament to what is possible on mobile”**
**GAMEZEBO-“ A mobile masterpiece”**
**MODOJO-“ The newest addiction of any iOS supporter”**

**METACRITIC 94 out of 100**
**IGN - 9 out of 10-Editor’s Choice**
**SLIDE TO PLAY - 4 out of 4**
**GAMEZEBO - 5 out of 5**
**MODOJO 4.5 out of 5**
____________________________________
HORN is a 3rd person action adventure game - a completely unique experience where anyone can fully explore and enjoy a beautiful and engaging console-style world, all controllable by touch gestures.

You play as a young blacksmith's apprentice named Horn who wakes up to find your village and lands over run by large fantastic, and sometimes humorous, monsters. It is revealed these creatures are actually the people and animals from your village transformed by a curse, and you alone have the power to free them. On your incredible adventure you carry the loud-mouthed head of one such fantastic creature with you - a somewhat uncooperative and ill-tempered but grudgingly helpful sidekick. Along with this new companion you must use your sword, crossbow, trusty musical horn, and wits to explore the lands, defeat the enemies, and solve puzzles in your quest to undo the curse that engulfs your homeland.

Horn features:
∗ Accessible controls that anyone can use- walking, jumping, crawling, even grapple hook, are all performed with intuitive gestures
∗ Freely navigable console-quality detailed world- go wherever you want; not confined to limited path or rail
∗ A rich and unique fantasy world
∗ Touch-friendly melee combat and crossbow style weapons
∗ 3 unique and beautiful lands to discover
∗ Endlessly escalating challenge modes
∗ Hidden side content to discover
∗ Score written by award winning Austin Wintory and performed with full live orchestral